Faulkners Human Spirit Essay -- Authors

William Faulkner accepted his Nobel Peace Prize in December 1950. During his acceptance speech, Faulkner proclaimed that the award was made not to him as a man, but to his life’s work, which was created, â€Å"out of the materials of the human spirit something which did not exist before.† (PF ) He felt that the modern writer had lost connection to his spirit and that he must reconnect with the universal truths of the heart—â€Å"love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice.† (PF ) Through his characters voice and exposure of their spirit, Faulkner solidified man’s immortality by â€Å"lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past.†(PF ) Although some critics have characterized his work as violet, dealing with immoral themes and the miseries and brutality of life; it can be argued that even his most sad and dep raved characters express positive virtues and personal strengths, even if by a negative example. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the portrayal and manifestation of the human spirit in a select few of William Faulkner’s literary characters, showing that they possess both human strength and flaws. So what is the human spirit and why is it significant? It is a somewhat indefinable concept. According to Faulkner the human spirit is the connection to the universal truths of the heart—â€Å"love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice.† (PF) But more than that, he was concerned with the idea that man had become oblivious to the problems of the spirit; that he lost his awareness of the inner struggle of heart in conflict with itself. The human spirit can also be described in terms of survi... ...., 1996. 209- 234. Utley, Francis L., Lynn Z. Bloom, and Arthur F. Kinney, eds. Bear, Man, and God: Eight Approaches to William Faulkner’s â€Å"The Bear.† New York: Random House, 1971. Volpe, Edmond L. A Reader’s Guide to William Faulkner. New York: Noonday Press, 1965. Waggoner, Hyatt H. William Faulkner: From Jefferson to the World. Lexington: Univ. Kentucky Press, 1959. Wagner, Linda W., ed. William Faulkner: Four Decades of Criticism. East Lansing, MI : Michigan State Univ. Press, 1973. 139 Warren, Robert Penn, ed. Faulkner : A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. . â€Å"William Faulkner.† William Faulkner: Four Decades of Criticism. Linda W. Wagner, ed. East Lansing, MI: MSU Press, 1973. 94-109. Webb, James W. and A. Wigfal Green, eds. William Faulkner of Oxford. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State Univ. Press, 1965.